Pressure garment



July 9, 1963 J. v. soMYK 3,096,635

PRESSURE GARMENT Filed may 2551959 z sheets-sheet 1 u l] N" EL Q .113... mw.. fDCDCCCCN CCCaE mfwfufaafge SQ@ @QQ CQQQ.

Ef QTQ. MM

/lfr'x July 9, 1.963

Filed May 25. 1959 J. V. SOMYK PRESSURE GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/V VENTO/' JOHN B. SOMYK @y ggg/Lw A TTHNEY United States Patent O 3,096,635 PRESSURE GARMENT John V. Somyk, 705 High St., Central Falls, RJ. Filed May 25, 1959, Ser. No. 815,394 Claims. (Cl. 66--175) This invention is concerned with fabrics formed by interconnecting loops of yarn and garments fashioned therefrom. It is particularly concerned with fabrics useful for garments worn under pressure, such as anti-G suits, elasticized clothing, etc., and methods and mechanism for fabricating them.

The human body is conditioned tothe atmospheric pressure of `approximately lifteen pounds per square inch experienced at the earths surface. For flight intothe less dense stratosphere and remote outer space this pressure must be substantially maintained the traveler is to survive.

Two devices are used to maintain an environment of substantially standard latrnosplneric pressure .about a man traveling in rareed atmosphere. One is to pressurize the interior of the vehicle in which he 4is traveling. The other is to provide him with a pressurized suit. Such suits are also used for pilots and crew of aircraft maneuvering -at supersonic speeds to protect them against the effects of inertia upon their bodies. In such application these garments are referred to as anti-G suits.

It has been the practice 'to provide these garments in the form of a rubber bladder which may be inated to the pressure required for protection. For relatively low pressure differentials this inflated suit technique is satisfactory. When the pressure difference is significant, however, itis necessary to contain the pressurized bladder within a casing -or lcover to prevent it from bursting.

Ordinary Woven cloth has been used as such a cover. It satisfies the requirement of containing the bladder, but has the property of becoming extremely taut under pressure with the result that the suit becomes rigid and its wearer loses the power of effective movement of his limbs, becoming practically helpless. Since knitted fabric has the quality of greater inherent llexibility than woven cloth, `attempts have been made to form suits from a combination :of rubber tubes adapted to the shape of the dilferent limbs and torso of the body and to encase these tubes in knitted sleeves. Even Ithese structures, however, become rigid and lock once significant pressure is applied to the tube-like bladders.

Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a more satisfactory and less rigid prsurized garment, especially an anti-G or space suit, and an improved fabric for covering such garments.

These and related objectives are accomplished in one embodiment of the invention which features, as an illustrative example, an anti-G or space snit comprised of a plurality of substantially tubular shaped bladder portions each covered lby a knitted fabric wherein the wales of the looped structure run substantially ciroumferentially around the tube instead yof longitudinally along its length. In one modication of the invention rib wales are inserted at critical locations to define areas where llexibility is desired to `accommodate bending of joints etc. v

Other modifications and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is ,a diagrammatic representation of a portion of a knitted fabric adapted to cover a tubular bladder after the manner of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a represent-ation of a portion of a tubular bladder covered by a looped fabric;

FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically how a ilat knitted Patented July 9,1963

fabric may be formed into a seamless covering for a tubular bladder; and,

FIG. 4 is 4a diagrammatic representation of a garment embodying features of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a por-tion of a length of knitted fabric 10 having a number of rib wales 12 separated by succes-f sive wales 14 of plain knit loops. Such fabric may be produced with selvaged sides and a raw edge of loops at top and bottom, as shown at course 16 or with a starting salvage, in a manner well known in the art, by reciprocatory knitting on 'a links-and-links or V-bed knitting machine or flat bed equipment. It may be converte-d into a seamless tube, as represented at 18 in FIG. 2, by drawing -an end of yarn from the first course 16, or the last course 20, through the loops of both tirst and last ycourses in the manner shown in FIG. 3, and thereby producing a joining course 22.

This technique is also known to those skilled in the art of knitting. It comprises drawing a needle 24 carrying a loose end 26 of yarn behind adjacent shoulders of adjacent raw loops of one course, eg., 16, and then moving over o-ne Wale 'and similarly drawing the end 26 behind adjacent shoulders of adjacent raw loops of the other course, e.g. 16. The process is repeated and results in a course 22 of loops, as shown in FIG. 3, which correspond exactly to the loop structure of the remainder of the fabric. When `the course 22 is Icompleted the end 26 may be tied off and fused with the other free end of yarn leading from the fabric to complete the seamless tube such as 18 in FlG. 2.

The invention has discovered that, if a seamless tube 18 produced in this manner is used to encase an inflated bladder 28, as shown in FIG. 2, the complete assembly can be bent with considerably less effort than a similar arrangement having a covering of either Woven fabric or the conventional knitted sleeve, with wales running longitudinally of the itubular bladder 2S, which has hitherto been used for this purpose.

A protective shield 30 comprised, for example, of a fabric woven or knitted from a stretch yarn such as Helanca, may be inserted lbetween the bladder 28 and the knit covering 13. This shield absorbs some pressure, prevents the knitted fabric from chaiing against the bladder, and helps to contain it from bulging through the open mesh of the knitted loops. Various sizes of loop structure land types of yarn have produced satisfactory covers 18. One successful combination has been a structure of approximately 16 loops per square inch knit with a single end of pound test braided Daeron. Another protective safeguard against lchaing of the yarn is to immerse it in a solution of ya lubricating substance such as lanolin, silicone, etc.

The seamless fabric casing m-ay have a number of rib wales 12 inserted in the areas where vbending is to take place; or, it may be fabricated by plain Jersey knitting throughout. If rib wales are used, they may commence several inches 'away from the joint, on either side, and occur every few inches at first, then more closely together until they are less than an inch apart at the joint. This builds into the fabric structural reference lines for bending purposes. To laccentuate this effect the fabric is drawn 3 a `seamless looped fabric encasing said bladder, the loops of said fabric being arranged in wales having a longitudinal direction circumferential `of said bladder.

2. The invention according to claim 1, and wherein said looped fabric comprises a knitted structure.

3. The invention according to claim 2, and wherein said knitted structure includes a y`combination of plain and rib wales.

4. The invention according to claim 3, and wherein said rib wales protrude from the surface of said fabric inwardly `against said bladder.

5. The invention according to claim 1, wherein an expandable fabric liner is inserted between said tubular members and said looped fabric.

6. A garment which comprises `a plurality of inflatable portions arranged to encase human limbs and a covering which includes separate seamless knitted sleeves for separate ones of said portions, each of said sleeves having a wale structure running in a circumferential direction, said wale structure including one or more rib wales protruding against its respective inllatable portion.

7. A fabric garment having `a plurality of limb covering sleeves each comprising `a mesh structure with rib wales protruding from their inside surface, said -rib wales being arranged to lie in a longitudinal direction which is circumferential of their respective sleeves.

8. A pressurized garment which comprises a plurality of tubular members, each including: a tubular bladder; a seamless looped fabric encasing said bladder, said 4 fabric having `its component loops arranged in wales running circumferentially around said bladder.

9. A garment which comprises: an inflatable member having a plurality of tubular portions; and, a covering for each of said plurality of portions, said covering comprising knitted fabric structures having Wales running circumferentially of said tubular portions.

10. in a garment adapted to provide pressurized protection for a human body a flexible sleeve portion compulsing: `a tubular inilatable bladder member; a knitted covering for said bladder; said covering having a combination of plain and rib knit Wales running oircurnferentially of said tubular member; said rib knit wales protruding from said plain knit wales in the direction of said bladder `thereby providing creases to deline llexible portions in said bladder when it is inflated into pressurized contact with said covering.

References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,644,116 Fefel Oct. 4, 1927 2,217,272 Harris Oct. 8, 1940 2,222,946 Hall NOV. 26, 1940 2,234,671 Ford Mar. 11, 1941 2,298,748 Brown Oct. 13, 1942 2,364,560 Stover Dec. 5, 1944 2,403,652 Fullerton et al July 9, 1946 2,752,952 Dauphinais `Tuly 3, 1956 2,788,804 Larkin Apr. 16, 1957 2,954,562 Krupp Oct. 4, 1960 

1. A PRESSURIZED GARMENT COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF TUBULAR MEMBERS EACH INCLUDING A TUBULAR BLADDER; AND A SEAMLESS LOOPED FABRIC ENCASING SAID BLADDER, THE LOOPS OF SAID FABRIC BEING ARRANGED IN WALES HAVING A LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION CIRCUMFERENTIAL OF SAID BLADDER. 